Weatherstripping is commonly used to seal windows, doors, and similar structures from air, moisture, sound, mold, dust, pest infiltration and/or the like. Weatherstripping typically creates a barrier, and typically forms and/or adjusts sufficiently to allow the window or door to open and close properly. There are many types of weatherstripping on the market, including brass or metal strips, felt strips, blown rubber and extruded rubber strips, and brush or pile strips.
Brush weatherstripping is commonplace, and includes a pile made of polypropylene or other similar fibrous material. Oftentimes brush weatherstripping has a backing that can be inserted in a slot that traverses either the perimeter of a fenestration, or the door or window placed in the fenestration. The slot may be a T-shaped channel that accommodates the backing of the weatherstripping. The weatherstripping backing is commonly pushed longitudinally into the channel where the weatherstripping is held in place. As more of the weatherstripping length is inserted into the channel and pushed along longitudinally for placement, friction increases and it becomes progressively harder to push longer pieces of weatherstripping into the channel. When a window, door or similar structure is produced, this may not represent a hardship, as automation equipment may be employed to place the weatherstripping into the channel. Unfortunately, weatherstripping does not last forever, and eventually requires replacement. When the time comes to replace the weatherstripping, it is often difficult to place new weatherstripping into the existing channel of the window or door assembly. For instance, the channel may have deformed ever so slightly over time, or may contain dirt and debris that interfere with the smooth sliding of the weatherstripping into the channel. Further, the previous weatherstripping may have been so far deteriorated that removal of the previous weatherstripping may have left fragments behind in the channel. All of these difficulties make the replacement of the weatherstripping an unsavory and sometimes problematic undertaking.
What is needed is a weatherstripping that does not rely on the longitudinal insertion of the weatherstripping backing into a channel.